


What Ever Happened to Never Dating A Co-Worker Again?

by 4funjinjja, goldensuns



Category: taekook - Fandom
Genre: M/M, Minor Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-26
Updated: 2017-03-26
Packaged: 2018-10-11 07:05:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,325
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10458294
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/4funjinjja/pseuds/4funjinjja, https://archiveofourown.org/users/goldensuns/pseuds/goldensuns
Summary: Nurse Taehyung and Dr Jeongguk are friends who work together.  Nurse Taehyung has always been in a one sided love for his friend, coworker and roommate, Dr. Jeongguk, could he ever love him back?





	

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by Anonymous in the [kookvday](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/kookvday) collection. 



> This is only my second Fan Fic ever written the first for In Bloom prompt challenge! Please keep that mind!
> 
> I have to thank Goldensuns and Can't Stop Smiling. I came up with the plot and wrote the story, Goldensuns made it readable and Can't Stop Smiling encouraged me to finish and helped me tweak it! Thank you ladies!
> 
> Please enjoy!

What Happened to Never Dating a Co-Worker Again?  
-1-

When Taehyung heard Jeongguk’s alarm go off for the third time, he’s had it. Sighing heavily, he reluctantly set down his coffee, so much for a little me time before work he thinks.

Taehyung entered Jeongguk’s room with loud steps, but Jeongguk was too caught up in the haze of sleep to notice, and shook his shoulder gently, “Babe, come on. You need to get up, we’re going to be late for work if you don’t get a move on.”

Jeongguk rolled onto his stomach burying his head in his pillow and whined almost childishly, “10 more minutes pleeease.”

Taehyung smacked his ass in disapproval. He never really held back from pouncing at every opportunity to feel Jeongguk’s ass anyway, and Jeongguk laughed at that renowned fact. “Yah, you should have gotten up thirty minutes ago. Go get in the shower, the coffee is made and I’ll have some breakfast ready for you.”

Jeongguk sat up hastily just to chuck his pillow at Taehyung, “Fine, fine, I’m up! Christ.” then Jeongguk tilted his head and gave Taehyung one of his killer smiles, “Breakfast huh? How ‘bout some pancakes!”

Taehyung only laughed and shook his head incredulously as he left the room, “Really, now? At this rate, you’ll be lucky to have time for a granola bar and a coffee to go!”

In the chase for time, Jeongguk managed to get himself ready as his thoughts urged him for food.  
Jeongguk walked in the kitchen just as the microwave beeped, dressed in light blue scrubs as he towel dried his hair. Taehyung removed the plate from the microwave and sat it on the table with a, “Perfect timing, sit down and eat.”

Jeongguk laughed and hugged Taehyung from behind, an affectionate gesture of gratitude when words just don’t seem enough to express it. “Aww Tae, you do love me, you made me pancakes!”  
A simple sentence like that made Taehyung’s heart skip a beat, because if Jeongguk only knew how much he really did love him. With a sigh, Taehyung said, “whatever, don’t get too excited, they are just the frozen kind, now eat up, we only have about fifteen minutes before we have to head out.”

Now, Taehyung did not believe in love at first sight—that crap only happened in dramas. Well, that’s what he thought until it happened to him. As sudden as a flash yet unsurprisingly, he fell head over heels in love with Jeongguk the moment he saw him. It happened when Taehyung worked for an ambulance service while attending nursing school.

He was working on a Friday night with Yoongi, his regular partner. It was a rather quiet shift, they hadn’t run many calls. Around 2 in the morning, they were dispatched for an 82-year-old female with a cardiac history experiencing chest pains and shortness of breath. On the scene, Taehyung assessed the patient, started an IV, ran a 12 lead EKG, placed her on a heart monitor and put her on a nasal cannula with 6L of oxygen.

They transported her to the emergency room for further treatment and after transferring the patient to the gurney in the treatment room, Taehyung started giving Wren, the triage nurse, report “Our patient is an 82-year-old female presenting with a sudden onset of chest pain and shortness of breath. Patient has a history of CHF and peripheral edema, her BP 140/80 Pulse 92 Respirations 20 with rales in posterior bases bilaterally, pulse 0x 94%, an 18-gauge line started left ac running NS TKO, 12 lead EKG showing A-fib, she is on 6L of ox….” 

As the ER Doctor walked in with the new resident on his heels, Taehyung deadass stopped mid-sentence. Slacked jawed—he couldn’t breathe—all he could do was stare at that resident who was the most beautiful man Taehyung truly believed he had ever seen.

His raven colored hair was disheveled and slightly parted off center, framing his warm chocolate brown eyes and accentuating his angular jawline and hell if that wasn’t the most typical description about a God-like Man, but it’s true. He couldn’t help but notice how muscular he was as he stood with his hands in the pockets of his lab coat, big eyes round and curious, but warm and ready for whatever he needs to learn.  
Wren laughed and leaned in to whisper, “It’s fine, Tae. That’s Dr. Jeon Jeongguk, our newest resident, and he has that effect on everyone!”

Jeongguk looked Taehyung in the eyes, perhaps by accident or maybe not but the sharp breath that Taehyung takes doesn’t go unnoticed by the either of them. Jeongguk then bashfully looked away with a slight smile pulling at the edges of his beautiful mouth and Taehyung had to blink a couple of times, clearing his throat before looking back at Wren.

He was so embarrassed and knew his face was undoubtedly red because he could feel the tips of his ears burning like a wildfire. Taehyung quickly finished giving his patient report and left the room as fast as he could, in attempt to escape reality for a bit—and the embarrassment before Jeon Jeongguk. He could go anywhere but stay wherever the new resident was, and at that thought, he groaned again internally.

Taehyung found Yoongi in the ambulance bay restocking the ambulance and felt a pout etching onto his lips as he heaved a sigh. That caught Yoongi’s attention because he looked up at Taehyung with mild surprise colouring his face, although he didn’t look like he cared much. Typical Yoongi, really.  
“What’s wrong with you, your face is bright red.” To feel better, Taehyung covered his face and groaned again deciding to share his story anyway. “Oh, nothing much, I just made a total ass out of myself in front of the new resident, who by the way is drop dead gorgeous.”  
Yoongi gave a nod of his head, “Huh, sounds like you met the infamous Dr. Jeon. Not surprising since Jimin told me the new resident was a total hunk and how all of the staff were falling over themselves to garner his attention.”

Jimin was a medical tech in the ER, he was also Yoongi’s fiancé and up until a month prior, was Taehyung’s roommate. Taehyung wonders for a second why Yoongi hadn’t sounded jealous in his reply, but mental images of them flashed in his mind for a second reminding him how in love they were, as both were faithful people. How great it must feel to have found the stability in their love life, Taehyung envied that.

Taehyung shook his head anyway, “I believe that, if I hadn’t embarrassed myself so badly in front of him, I’d be trying to gain his attention too!” “Fool,” Yoongi muttered under his breath. But he was smiling, he always smiled at Taehyung which shows he was just kidding about his words half the time.

A few days later, Jimin approached Taehyung with a mischievous look on his face but Taehyung wasn’t bothered—not when he has other things to do during his rest time like watching anime, “Tae, have you found a roommate to replace me yet?” 

“Not yet, why? You have someone in mind?” “Actually yeah, our new resident Jeongguk is looking for a place… can I give him your number?”

Taehyung mentally groaned upon hearing the same name that’s been tormenting him the past few days. Of all the people Jimin could have suggested, it just had to be the gorgeous Dr. Jeon, the same Dr. Jeon he completely embarrassed himself in front of and the same Dr. Jeon he had fallen in love with at first sight! Taehyung sighed heavily and decided with heavy shoulders, why not. “Sure, Jimin. Give him my number.” 

Jeongguk moved in a week later. Things have gone well for them since that was five years ago. Since then, Taehyung had graduated with his BSN in Emergency Medicine Nursing and Jeongguk had finished his residency. They work together in the Emergency Department and are truly the best of friends, being that they have the same interests and similar lifestyles.

Though, the hardest part had been for Taehyung to hide his one-sided love for Jeongguk. Jeongguk had a steady girlfriend when he first moved in but she couldn’t handle Jeongguk’s long and erratic hours so they fought all the time and it was such a relief when they decided to end things.  
But he was cool about it. When Taehyung asked if he was fine, Jeongguk merely flashed him a grin, “Life happens. Some are hard to accept but this is merely a relationship—she was nice but I might’ve ruined that of hers.”

Jeongguk’s schedule was crazy, making it hard for him to date but he once tried dating one of the nurses they worked with and it ended so horribly, he swore that day he would never date a coworker again which was understandable, wasn’t it? He just didn’t know what was in store for him. If only he did.

-2-

Taehyung and Jeongguk lived in a small 2-bedroom bungalow in the suburbs. The house sat on a small corner lot but there was enough space for Taehyung to keep a small garden in the back and a butterfly flower garden in the front. The homes were older but the area was being revitalized by young families.  
One of those young families, The Lee’s, Yong-Jo, his wife Jae Hwa, who was five months pregnant and their 6-year-old daughter Mi Cha lived next door to Taehyung and Jeongguk. They quickly became very good friends since they were all around the same age, making connecting with each other easier especially when kindness was key and The Lee’s were very nice.

It was one of those rare Saturdays where Taehyung and Jeongguk were both off from work. They had invited Yoongi and Jimin over for dinner. It was a beautiful warm day so they decided to have a barbecue and eat outside on the patio. Jeongguk was setting up the grill when he heard high pitched giggles but it wasn’t all that surprising when he turned his head only to find Taehyung and Mi Cha playing tag.

Mi Cha was chasing Taehyung who acted like he tripped and was rolling around on the ground in awesome pretence and that’s when Mi Cha jumped on him yelling, “Got you, you it now Tae Tae, you it.”  
Jeongguk found himself smiling. Taehyung loved kids dearly and Jeongguk loved watching Taehyung with the little ones. Taehyung had such an innocence about him that shined even brighter when he was with children and perhaps, that was the reason why it was easy for him to click this well with the kids.  
Taehyung took to chasing after Mi Cha who could hardly run because she was giggling just too hard.  
It’s abrupt when he suddenly yelled, “Gukkie, come help me! Mi Cha’s too fast, I’ll never be able to catch her on my own!”

Amused and laughing, Jeongguk complied and went over to play with them. Jeongguk winked at Mi Cha and ran after Taehyung instead, tackling him to ground with his thankfully strong hands and straddling his thighs naturally. “Mi Cha, come help me tickle TaeTae!” 

Jeongguk and Mi Cha had Taehyung squealing in laughter when Jae Hwa called Mi Cha to come in for dinner. Jae Hwa smiled at Taehyung and Jeongguk from the doorway, a knowing look playing on her face but she didn’t say much but, “thank you for playing with Mi Cha, guys. I really needed that nap!”  
Taehyung and Jeongguk understood her, and they were smiling warmly when they both said they’re welcomes.

“Anytime Jae Hwa, you know how much we love spending time with her!”  
Taehyung and Jeongguk watched as Jae Hwa and Mi Cha went inside, unaware of her little knowing smile. 

Jeongguk was still straddling Taehyung and Taehyung was more than aware of the position they were in. Taehyung nervously coughed and tried to move so Jeongguk looked down at him grinning.  
He could tell the moment Jeongguk realized the awkward position they were in when his smile slowly left his face as something passed through his eyes; blushing while he got off Taehyung as fast as he could.

“Um… sorry Tae, I…”

Taehyung laughed nervously and quickly waved it off, “Uh, that was fun, I just love that little girl! Thanks for playing with us, Guk.” Swiftly standing up, he added on, “Jimin and Yoongi should be here soon, I’m gonna go make the salad.”

Jeongguk sat up and watched Taehyung practically run into the house. Jeongguk was confused, his heart was racing and he had this strange feeling in his stomach, a fluttery feeling, like butterflies? ‘Where hell did that come from?’ he thought. He stood up, shook his head and went over to finish setting up the grill.

Jeongguk was a bit distant the rest of the evening that even Jimin and Yoongi noticed.  
Jimin asked, “Jeon, you feeling ok? You are way too quiet tonight.”

Jeongguk looked up and smiled slightly, “Yeah Jimin, I’m fine, I um… I guess I’m just tired.” 

Taehyung got up from the table and started collecting the dishes, “Are you guys ready for some dessert?”  
Once in the kitchen Taehyung started to put the dishes in the dishwasher and asked Yoongi to grab the strawberries and the whipped cream from the fridge. As Yoongi got out the dessert he said to Taehyung, 

“So, what is going on, things seem a bit weird between you and Jeongguk.”  
Taehyung sighed, “I don’t know, Yoongi. Everything has been fine until this afternoon. We were playing tag with Mi Cha. The two of them ganged up on me, had me down on the ground tickling me when Jae Hwa called Mi Cha to dinner. Then there we were, me on the ground, Guk straddling me. Guk got this strange confused look on his face and quickly moved off me, Yoongi. I was so flustered, I didn’t know what to do, so I quickly stood up and went in the house. Guk has been kind of acting off since.”  
Yoongi whistled, “well, that’s interesting.”  
Taehyung scoffed, “Is that all you have to say? Do you think he knows how I really feel about him? Oh God, you don’t think he... felt, you know, me, I mean...”

Yoongi’s eyebrows shot up, “What? Were you hard Tae?”

Taehyung blushed, “Well… I was kinda sporting a semi. Oh no, you don’t think that’s why he’s acting so weird?” Taehyung groaned as he slapped his palm across his cheek. “Yoongi, do you how many times I have fantasized about Gukkie straddling me? Should I say something or let it go?”

Yoongi slowly shook his head, “I really don’t know what to tell you Tae let’s see how he acts the next few days and go from there. You’re a mess, Tae. You really need to figure out your feelings and deal with them, you can’t go on like this—it isn’t fair to you, and hell neither is it to Jeongguk.”

Taehyung grabbed the dessert and plates, “I know, you’re right, I just love him so much that I’m so afraid if I say something it will make things awkward or worse, he’ll no longer want to be around me.”

Yoongi put his arm around Taehyung’s shoulder sympathetically, “Who knows what will happen but, Tae,   
really, you should figure this out sooner rather than later.” 

Soon after dessert, Yoongi and Jimin left because they all had to work early the next morning. Taehyung was cleaning up the rest of the dishes when Jeongguk walked into the kitchen. He couldn’t look Taehyung in the eyes even as he asked, “Tae, need some help?”

“No, I’m almost done but thank you.”

Taehyung was trying to figure out a way to bring up that afternoon up when Jeongguk said, “Ok, if you’re sure, I’m going to bed then. I’m really tired so... I’ll see you in the morning.” 

Taehyung wanted to ask him to stop, stay and talk but when Jeongguk’s figure retreated, he knew it was too late. He had no other choice but wait for another time and with that, he sighed.

The next morning Taehyung woke up before his alarm went off. His head felt like crap because he hardly slept, too busy replaying what happened yesterday and trying to figure out how he was going to deal with it. He was nervous about seeing Jeongguk this morning, considering how awkward things had been last night and he hated it.  
Eventually he got up and went down the hall to the bathroom and found the door closed with a note taped to it, it read:

Tae,  
I was called in early. I made coffee for you. I took a cab so we would only have one car at work, we can ride home together tonight.  
Guk

Taehyung thought, at least that sounded more like Jeongguk, maybe all was going to be fine after all.  
But, Taehyung didn’t get to see much of Jeongguk that day. He was out front working the triage desk so the few times they did get to see each other things were more like normal, no awkwardness which Taehyung was relieved about. 

As usual the day was super busy; they had the normal emergencies: chest pains, a broken bone or two, a few MVA traumas plus, there was a nasty stomach bug going around and everyone was coming in to be treated. By the time the end of the shift rolled around, Taehyung was feeling the effects of his sleepless night and was more than ready to go home.

Taehyung was kind of dreading the car ride home since he didn’t know what to expect. Things seemed fine between them but they hadn’t had any time to talk about anything.   
Later on, Jeongguk met up with Taehyung in the nurse’s lounge, “Hey Tae, you ready?”  
Tae nodded his head and grabbed his stuff, “Yes, more than ready. I’m exhausted!” 

They made small talk about their day on the way home which seemed as normal as before and halfway, Taehyung said, “What a crazy day! I can’t believe Mr. Kim Namjoon hurt himself again, that guy’s going to have a hospital wing named after him at this rate!”

Jeongguk laughed, “I know, right, I hope he gets that kitchen renovation done soon before he gets hurt worse. I think he’d be better off hiring someone to do it and I think his husband is thinking the same thing, I heard him trying to talk him into hiring someone!”   
“Yeah,” Taehyung smiled. “But I think it’s so sweet how he wants to do this himself. He told me about what an excellent cook his husband was and he wanted to update the kitchen for him as a birthday present. Oh crap, speaking of cooking, I forgot to take something out for dinner tonight.”  
Jeongguk chuckled and shook his head, “No problem, do you want to go somewhere or would you rather take out?” Yes, things were back normal, Taehyung felt so relieved.

It had been several weeks since the “incident” and everything was back to normal, well a few times Taehyung noticed Jeongguk staring at him with a questioning look on his face but Jeongguk would quickly look away when Taehyung noticed him and Taehyung still wasn’t ready to deal with his feelings so he let it go.

-3-

Taehyung had the day off but Jeongguk was on duty, so here Taehyung was pulling weeds from the flower garden with Jae Hwa sitting on the step visiting with him. Mi Cha was chasing butterflies in the front yard, something she really loved doing, Taehyung realized.  
But everything happened so suddenly next— he heard a loud noise which made him look up, and was shocked to find a car had struck a neighbor’s mailbox all because the driver was driving erratically and he was coming straight for them.

Taehyung recalled that Mi Cha was near the corner of the yard so he took off running towards her, yelling her name but it happened all too fast. He couldn’t get to her fast enough and the car didn’t even try to make the turn, cutting across the corner of the lot striking Mi Cha. Another neighbor saw the whole thing and immediately called 911, running over to help.

Taehyung told the neighbor to go to Jae Hwa who was screaming and to keep her away from Mi Cha and he immediately ran to her. She was lying very still in the yard, so lifeless around a pool of blood, that Taehyung was finding it hard to breathe. She wasn’t breathing and she was unresponsive. She had no pulse— and Taehyung knew she was in cardiac and pulmonary arrest. Hurriedly, he immediately started rescue breathing and CPR because he had to try and save her, he had to try. 

It seemed like it took forever for the ambulance to get there but it really was only a few minutes. When the paramedics arrived, Taehyung told them what happened as they quickly placed Mi Cha on a long board, strapped down and splinted.  
They took over the rescue breathing with a valve bag mask, placed her on a backboard then onto the stretcher and moved her to the ambulance. She had a depressed skull fracture, a pneumothorax and a compound femur fracture all on her left side, where the car struck her. 

Taehyung shouted to the neighbor to get Jae Hwa to the emergency room as he boarded the ambulance.  
On route to the hospital, they decompressed Mi Cha’s chest and continued CPR, as a venous access with an intraosseous line in the right tibia was established. 

They arrived at the hospital and Mi Cha was taken to a trauma room where the pediatric trauma surgeon already was. A portable x-ray of the skull was ordered, blood was drawn, and a trach placed as they continued CPR. 

Jeongguk had to practically carry Taehyung out the room and Taehyung didn’t even know Jeongguk was there. “Jeongguk, where’s Jae Hwa?”  
Rubbing his back in soothing circles, Jeongguk calmly told Taehyung, “Jae Hwa’s in a treatment room because she fainted so they’re monitoring her and the baby. Yong-Jo is on his way here. So Tae, let’s get you out of these bloody clothes and then you go to Jae Hwa, alright? I’ll wait here for Yong-Jo.”   
But Jeongguk and Taehyung were stopped by Jimin, who had tears in his eyes, “Jeongguk, Taehyung… I’m so sorry. Oh God, I am so, so sorry, they just called it. Mi Cha is gone, there was nothing they could do, her head trauma was too severe— they couldn’t get her heart to start again.”  
Instantly, Taehyung started shaking uncontrollably as he grabbed Jeongguk, burying his hands in his shirt. The tears were streaming down his cheeks and his clothes were soaked with blood but there was no way for him to express his devastation and shock over everything.  
Jeongguk kept silent the whole time.

“Jeongguk, please tell me he’s wrong. Please, no, she can’t be gone!” And then Jeongguk pulled Taehyung into him and held him. When Jeongguk’s shoulders started shaking, Taehyung knew he was crying. He wanted to comfort Jeongguk, but he was a mess. He felt suffocated, throat clogged and heart clenching— he couldn’t do anything else but sob.  
Just then, they heard yelling coming from the front desk, it was Jong-Yo, “Where’s my wife and daughter? What’s going on, please, where are they?”  
Jeongguk lifted Taehyung’s chin right then and looked him in the eyes, soft even through the tears that were spilling from his eyes, “Tae, babe, I need you to take a deep breath alright? We need to be strong for Jong-Yo and Jae Hwa. Jimin, please help Tae get out of these clothes and into some scrubs. I’m going to Jong-Yo.”

Taehyung didn’t have a say in this. He pulled away, hiccuping from the sobs but Jeongguk pulled him back in and pressed his lips to Taehyung’s forehead, still looking him in the eyes, “You got this?”  
Taehyung nodded his head, “Yeah, Jeongguk, please go to Jong-Yo. Hurry. I’ll get out of these clothes and be right there.”

Jeongguk took Jong-Yo to the private family room where the trauma surgeon and Jae Hwa’s obstetrician met them. The trauma surgeon explained what happened with Mi Cha and the obstetrician told Jong-Yo that Jae Hwa and the baby were fine but they had to sedate her and were going to admit her to monitor her and the baby for a few more days. But Jae Hwa didn’t know about Mi Cha and that was the hardest part of all.

Jeongguk and Taehyung asked Yong-Jo if he wanted them to accompany him when he talked with Jae   
Hwa, but they were turned down when he thanked them because he felt that it was something he needed to do himself. They understood what he meant.  
After everything, Jeongguk took Taehyung home. He was a mess, going from gut wrenching sobs to a catatonic state then back to sobbing before he finally passed out in the car from pure emotional exhaustion. Jeongguk was saddened by this incident but seeing Taehyung in a state like that hurt him even more.

Jeongguk ended up carrying Taehyung in the house because he wanted him to rest and laid Taehyung directly on his bed. Even though he had changed into scrubs at the hospital, there was still dried blood on his skin, under his nails and in his hair so Jeongguk started a hot bath and while the tub was filling he went back to Taehyung and undressed him.

He carried him into the bathroom and gently put him in the tub. He was doing this as a doctor, and a friend. Taehyung started crying again as soon as he woke, and Jeongguk felt extremely helpless. There was nothing he could do to help Taehyung and that fact frustrated him because he wanted Taehyung to feel better, to smile again and glow again.

Hesitantly, Jeongguk sat down on the bathroom floor next to the tub and gently began washing the blood off Taehyung in silence. He was never good with words and he always felt sorry about that.

Between stuttered sobs, Taehyung spoke up a couple of moments later.  
“I couldn’t save her, Jeongguk. I tried so hard, I should’ve been able to save her, but I didn’t. It’s all my fault. Why couldn’t I save her?” Jeongguk put his arms around Taehyung, unbothered by the fact that the hem of his shirt had dampened because it touched the water.

“Tae, you did everything you could for her. It isn’t your fault,” Jeongguk said softly, a hand stroking Taehyung’s head lightly.  
Taehyung clung to Jeongguk, “I should have tried harder.”  
Jeongguk lifted Taehyung from the tub and wrapped him in a towel before holding him in his lap, trying to comfort him. He knows it’s appreciated because Taehyung was always clingy when he’s sad and this was the best way to cheer him up just a little.

Jeongguk carried Taehyung back to his room, laid him on the bed then helped him into some comfortable t-shirt and sweatpants. It was then that he realized that Taehyung had stopped crying and the overwhelming relief that flushed over him was unbelievable.

“Tae, do you want something to eat? I can make you some ramen.”  
Taehyung just shook his head, “I don’t want anything, I just want to sleep.”

And that was completely cool. Jeongguk reached out to pull the blankets over Taehyung, tucked him in and started to get up but Taehyung just grabbed his wrist, “Please stay with me, Jeongguk.”  
Who was he to say no? If Taehyung needed somebody by his side, Jeongguk was going to be that somebody. So he nodded his head and slipped under the covers next to Taehyung, pulling Taehyung to him and running his fingers through Taehyung’s hair the way he remembered he liked it. He held Taehyung tightly, even as they both fell into a fitful sleep.

 

 

-4-

It had been 2 weeks since the accident.

Jae Hwa was back home, the baby was fine and she did just enough to keep the baby safe but she was in a very deep state of depression. If she wasn’t sleeping, she was crying. She wouldn’t leave her bedroom because every inch of the house held memories of Mi Cha and she couldn’t handle it. That much was understandable but nevertheless heart breaking.

She refused to see Taehyung, not that she blamed him for any of it because she knew it was the drunk driver that killed her daughter but seeing Taehyung reminded her of that day and she didn’t want to   
remember that day. It was the last thing she wanted.

One afternoon Yong-Jo came to the house to tell them that Jae Hwa wasn’t getting better and that they were going to move in with her mother until they could find a new home. They couldn’t stand to live there any longer because it was just too much for the both of them.

Taehyung wasn’t sleeping at all. He was pale with dark circles under his eyes that made him look almost inhuman and terrifying and the worst part yet? He wasn’t eating.

Jeongguk did everything he could to just to get Taehyung just to eat but his attempts were all for nothing which stressed him out. He didn’t think it was possible but Taehyung got worse after hearing that the Lee’s were moving. Logically Taehyung knew that Mi Cha’s death was not his fault but he still couldn’t stop blaming himself. It was obvious that if Taehyung was apologetic about Mi Cha’s death, he felt even guiltier after the news that The Lee’s were moving.

The house was quiet because everyone was asleep. But Jeongguk was abruptly awakened by Taehyung’s screams which terrified him. He didn’t know what to expect as he ran to Taehyung’s bedroom, but when he found Taehyungthrashing in the bed, screaming with a thin sheen of sweat covering him he was engulfed in sadness once again.  
At least Taehyung wasn’t in danger.

“Tae, wake up, you’re having a nightmare,” Taehyung looked at Jeongguk with vacant eyes that would’ve scared a normal person but Jeongguk knew better.

“Jeongguk, I couldn’t save her.” Jeongguk’s heart was breaking for Taehyung. Without a word, he laid next to Taehyung and held him close, whispering soothing words to lull Taehyung back to sleep. Where was the Taehyung he once knew?

Jeongguk had never seen this side of Taehyung before even though this situation wasn’t a surprise seeing as he had patients like this before, but seeing Taehyung going through this was intolerable. Jeongguk wanted Taehyung to be better, feel better but things weren’t going to be easy.  
The nightmares continued and each night Jeongguk would go to Taehyung’s room, lay in bed holding him and comforting him back to sleep. After several nights of this, Jeongguk didn’t even go to his own bed anymore. He just went to sleep with Taehyung because he figured sleeping next to Taehyung seemed to help keep the nightmares at bay. 

While Jeongguk and Taehyung were lying in bed one night, Jeongguk was wide awake. He had no reason keeping him awake but, with Taehyung already asleep and Jeongguk feeling restless, he looked at Taehyung, really looked at him and thought about how beautiful Taehyung was. It’s been a while since he’d done that.

Taehyung has such a look of innocence, an ethereal beauty and he was as kind and loving as he was beautiful. Jeongguk loved his smile the most because it was large and boxy and when Taehyung smiled at him, it made his heart skip a beat. He couldn’t lie even if he wanted to.

But where were these thoughts coming from? Jeongguk had been having them a lot lately, which confused him greatly. He remembered the first time he met Taehyung and even then, he thought Taehyung was beautiful and didn’t understand the feelings he was having.

Jeongguk never thought of himself as being “straight”. To be honest, he never thought about his sexuality in anyway particular way—only dated because he was attracted to the individual at the time and it didn’t matter if they were a girl or a guy.

On the other hand, Taehyung never dated, never talked about anyone but again sexuality not being a big deal to Jeongguk, he never thought about Taehyung’s sexuality either. He wanted to find out, of curiosity swirling in his gut, now that he’s started thinking about this.

Taehyung stirred in Jeongguk’s arms, opening his eyes to find Jeongguk staring at him. Taehyung looked questionably at him, and maybe it was impulsiveness drawing Jeongguk in or his heart screaming at him to do so. Thus, Jeongguk leaned in and kissed Taehyung. 

Taehyung wasn’t sure if this was really happening—was he dreaming? He kissed Jeongguk back then slowly pulled away from him, “Jeongguk?”

Jeongguk looked stunned, as if he couldn’t believe what he just did, “I—Taehyung, I’m so sorry, I just.”  
Taehyung shook his head lightly and cut him off with a small smile, “Hey, it’s ok. Let’s sleep, we can talk tomorrow.”

When Taehyung woke up the next morning, Jeongguk was no longer in bed with him. He wondered if the kiss was just a dream since it wouldn’t have been the first time he dreamt of them kissing and somehow, he flushed red at that internal confession.

Taehyung found Jeongguk in the kitchen making breakfast when he had finished getting ready for the day and to say that it wasn’t a good morning after a long time would be a lie. 

“Good morning Tae, did you sleep well?” Jeongguk asked. “I’m making some eggs; would you like some?”  
“Yeah, I did and good morning, eggs sound great, thank you.”

Taehyung thought, yeah, it was just a dream, Jeongguk was acting like nothing happened, so it had to be just a dream, right? 

Jeongguk and Taehyung were on vacation for the next two weeks and it was well planned as Yoongi and Jimin’s wedding was that weekend on Jeju Island. The wedding party planners were arriving a few days early to finalize and set everything up which was exciting because everyone had been looking forward to this day for years.

Taehyung was Yoongi’s best man and Jeongguk was Jimin’s. Of course. Yoongi had said something about “Daegu boys and Busan boys should do this, not a cross match” which, made sense in a way.   
Jeju Island was Korea’s honeymoon capital and getting a room there was difficult especially during the wedding season, so Taehyung and Jeongguk roomed together. Very obviously, not surprisingly. The four of them arrived on Jeju early Thursday morning but Jimin and Yoongi had to meet with the wedding coordinator and finalize paper work so that left Taehyung and Jeongguk on their own for a couple of hours.

Jeongguk and Taehyung were settled in their room and resting on their individual beds when Jeongguk sat up out of the blue and enthusiastically asked, “Tae, do you wanna go explore? We don’t have to meet Yoongi and Jimin until 3 this afternoon.”

Taehyung, always the planner, had looked up activities to do on Jeju Island before arriving and he didn’t know Jeongguk was even more excited than he’s expected to be. “Well, I would love to see the waterfalls, I want go to Manjang Park and walk through the Lava tubes and I would also like to hike up the Hallasan Volcano but we need to leave early in the morning for that so maybe we could do that tomorrow?”

“You got this all planned, huh?” Jeongguk chuckled, eyes twinkling in amusement. Taehyung only grins back at him because of course.

“Oh, and later today, Jimin wants to go to Love Land, which Yoongi only agreed to go to if we went too because he said he wasn’t going to suffer that embarrassment alone.”

Jeongguk looked puzzled, “Um…what is Love Land?”   
Taehyung started giggling, “Maybe I shouldn’t tell you and just let you see for yourself!” Jeongguk just rolled his eyes, “Oh no, if Jimin picked it I’m sure it will be a real doozy! Let’s face it, Jimin’s kind of a perv! So, go ahead, prepare me, what exactly am I in for?”

Doozy. Maybe that’s why Taehyung loved Jeongguk so much, he still used words like this in present day. A good catch, definitely a keeper. Whoever had him as a husband would be the luckiest.

In the meantime, Taehyung was giggling so hard he could hardly get it out, “The description reads as follows, A hilarious over-the-top adult theme park dedicated to sex!”

Jeongguk scrunched up his nose and as a look of horror flashed on his face, “Oh God, are you serious? I don’t know what to say to that! Only Jimin would find a place like that!”   
Taehyung was doubled over from laughter, “Oh, Gukkie, the look on your face- I— this is going to be fun!” 

But Jeongguk was so happy right this moment, heart dancing and cheeks almost splitting from smiling so wide, not because of Jimin’s entertainment choice, but rather because of Taehyung’s laughter. He didn’t realize how much he had missed the sound of it until now, and to know that Taehyung was laughing again came as a factor of joy to him.

Taehyung and Jeongguk decided to explore the area around the hotel. There was a beautiful wooden path that was surrounded by bright yellow and purple flowers. The path ended with a large open area that overlooked the landscape which was breathtaking; the lushness of the tropical greens spotted with the yellow and purple flowers.

There wasn’t a single cloud marring the vivid blue sky and they could see Mount Hallasan in the near distance with the curve of the beach surrounding the ocean. Taehyung and Jeongguk stood there, side by side, not speaking just enjoying the quiet beauty.   
It probably lasted a few minutes but when Taehyung looked to his left and noticed Jeongguk staring at him, he blinked curiously. “What? Do I have something on my face?” 

Jeongguk laughs, “Yeah, you do.”

Taehyung immediately wipes at his face, “Eww, what, where?”

Jeongguk lifted his hand to Taehyung’s face, and that itself makes Taehyung’s heart race. But as Jeongguk’s thumb ghosted over Taehyung’s lips, he found himself nervous and breathless. “You have a beautiful smile.”

Taehyung swallowed hard, he really couldn’t breathe, what was Jeongguk doing? In confusion, he looked up into Jeongguk’s eyes, “Gukkie, what…” 

But Jeongguk had quickly dropped his hand and stepped back, as he heard a large group of tourists enter the look out. Taehyung was lost and felt slightly disappointed, watching as Jeongguk looked down at his watch, “Um, it’s almost time for us to meet up with Yoongi and Jimin, we better head back.” 

Jeongguk was walking a bit ahead of Taehyung as they headed back and honestly, all that was flooding Taehyung’s mind was Jeongguk’s choice of actions. Taehyung was still stunned, and he wasn’t going to let this go, not again.

So, he reached forward and grabbed Jeongguk’s arm, not hard enough to stop him in his tracks but enough to make him turn around, “Jeongguk, hey, what was that back there?”

Jeongguk barely looked at Taehyung before he turned back around, “Nothing, just that you have been so sad. I know Mi Cha’s death has been hard on you, so it was just really nice seeing you smile again. I have been really worried about you.”

Oh. Taehyung was a bit crestfallen. But he laughed, unsure if it was to himself or aloud but he doesn’t   
really mind whichever. What were you expecting idiot, that he was going to profess his love or something?

“I’m fine, Gukkie, thank you for worrying about me. I think this trip is going to do me some good!” He’s still disappointed but at least they walked in comfortable silence back to the hotel bar where they were to meet Yoongi and Jimin.

Yoongi greeted them, “Hey you two, did you guys find something to do?”   
Taehyung told Jimin and Yoongi about the path and the lookout, “You guys have to go there before you leave, I bet it would be even more beautiful at sunset!” 

“We will, it sounds amazing but are you guys ready for the highlight of the day? Love Land Park here we come!” Jimin was practically bouncing up and down in his seat and at that, Yoongi just shook his head.

“Jimin, why do I love you so much? Are we really going there?” 

Jimin pouted, “Come on, you’re no fun and you know why you love me!” He wiggled his eyebrows at Yoongi and Taehyung doesn’t know if it’s meant to be suggestive or playful. He decided he didn’t want to know while Jeongguk laughed at their little exchange.

“Gross, love birds.”

It turned out that Love Land Park was quite the experience.

Taehyung and Jeongguk didn’t know whether to be embarrassed or laugh hysterically or a bit of both. The park was filled with statues in different sexual positions, penises and vagina’s everywhere and 

Jeongguk thought he might never be able to forget this even if he died.

The 4 men sat down to dinner after leaving the park. Great food, great company, fascinating view. Yeah, Jeongguk wasn’t going to forget this ever, and he’s pretty sure Taehyung wasn’t either.

“Jimin that place was… wow, I have no words,” said Taehyung with a bit of a chuckle. 

Jimin tried to keep a straight face as he said, “I found it very educational, thank you very much!”  
This cracked all 4 of them up. Jeongguk was still laughing when he added on, “I’m still not sure if those 4 naked men statues with pipes attached to their penises was supposed to be an outdoor urinal or a drinking fountain but either way, I wasn’t about to use it!”

Taehyung about fell off his chair laughing. “I don’t know Guk, but watching you bend over to look upside down at that one statue’s sexual position was pretty damn funny!” 

Jeongguk shrugged with a laugh, “I’m still a doctor, I know the body and how it works, but I still just can’t figure out exactly what they were trying to do or better yet how they were doing it!”

This had them all laughing again.

Earnestly, Yoongi looked at Jimin. “Well, since my fiancé felt we need to go there for the educational benefits, maybe I should try out a few of those positions tonight? I would hate for such great teachings to go unappreciated, y’know.”

Jimin, for the first time, giggled like a school girl and as if on cue, Jeongguk looked over at Taehyung with a cringing look, “And that’s our signal that it’s time to go!” 

Taehyung and Jeongguk decided to go have a few drinks before heading back to the room. The both of them were just a little tipsy, not drunk but tipsy for sure because they weren’t rambling nonsense off the top of their head. They were pretty mad happy, in fact, all smiles as they left.

When they got back to the room, Jeongguk went to take a shower and that was fine. Taehyung wanted to enjoy the scenery anyway, and he still had to get his mind off whatever Jeongguk had done earlier. For the sake of their relationship, he supposes there’s nothing else for him to do but drop it.  
It seemed like déjà vu and he didn’t want the same thing repeating. Taehyung hated awkwardness especially if it’s with his best friend.

He was standing at the window admiring the skyline when Jeongguk came out of the shower. Doesn’t really expect much to happen but Jeongguk walked right up behind him and wrapped his arms around him, resting his chin on Taehyung’s shoulder.  
And for real, this wasn’t anything new. They do it all the time and yet, somehow this time feels a little different. A little newer, intimate.

It’s all quiet until, “Tae, we need to talk.” 

Worried, Taehyung eyed Jeongguk’s reflection in the window, trying to read his expression. Didn’t help much though.

“Is everything alright, Guk?”

Sighing, Jeongguk turned Taehyung around to face him and wow Taehyung might start shaking out of faint fear. Did he do something wrong?

“This afternoon, at the overlook… well, I…” Jeongguk sighed heavily once again, before he leaned in and touched his lips to Taehyung’s as though the only way he could convey his words was through his actions. And yes, damn right it was.

Taehyung was frozen in place with a million thoughts running through his head at once. His heart was racing violently and his breathing so shallow he hoped he wouldn’t pass out just from this.  
Jeongguk pulled back a bit, “I… have wanted to do this for so long.”

Taehyung’s head was swimming at this point that his voice came out as a whisper, “Jeongguk, what exactly are you saying? Please don’t mess with my head like this.” 

“You don’t get it?”

Taehyung shook his head, genuine about his answer.

So Jeongguk kissed him again. This time, Taehyung’s eyes fluttered closed as he leaned in and kissed Jeongguk back. Jeongguk ran his fingers through Tae’s hair, his other hand on the small of Taehyung’s back pulling him closer. This was an all-new feeling altogether even if it should feel all too familiar.

Taehyung gasped at the feel of Jeongguk’s body up against his which granted Jeongguk easy access to slip his tongue into Taehyung’s mouth, slowly exploring, savoring. Taehyung hesitantly rubbing his tongue along Jeongguk’s, suddenly a little shy despite how much he’s always wanted to do this.  
The kiss became heated fast, leaving both men gasping for air. 

“I— Jeongguk, what is this? I still don’t understand and I don’t play games,” Jeongguk took Taehyung’s hand, leading him to the bed. He sat Taehyung down, then sat across from him. Taehyung doesn’t want to get the wrong idea, doesn’t know where Jeongguk’s going with this and he’s not prepared for the negative unexpected.

Holding both hands in his, Jeongguk looked Taehyung in the eyes with sincerity evident in them, 

“Taehyung, I’m not sure where to begin. I’ve always felt at ease with you, so close to you but sometimes I would get confused and wonder if the love I felt for you was more as a lover than as a brother.

“I was afraid of reading too much into it because what if, I confessed and found out that it was just a brotherly love or worse, that you didn’t feel the same and couldn’t be around me anymore? I didn’t want to lose what we had so I tried ignoring the feelings, leaving things as they were because things were good.

“At least I thought it was enough. But for a while now, I found myself thinking of you all the time? It’s driving me crazy. When I’m near you, all I wanna do is reach out and touch you, to hold you close, to kiss you. I never thought I’d ever do that and sleeping next to you these past few weeks made me realize I do want more.”  
Taehyung’s breath hitched expectantly. 

“I want you to be mine. I want us to be a couple, not just roommates. Because I love you, Taehyung. And I— I know this is a lot, I understand if you don’t feel the same way but I just couldn’t hold it in any longer.”  
But Taehyung didn’t even manage to smile before he was throwing himself into Jeongguk’s arms and hugging him tightly, with tears slipping from his eyes, “You dumbass. I’ve been in love with you since the moment I saw you in the ER that first time! I didn’t even know you swung this way too.”

That makes Jeongguk laugh. Taehyung still carried on, saying, “I understand though, I too, was afraid to say anything, afraid that you wouldn’t want to be near me anymore and having you near me as a friend was better than not having you at all.” 

Jeongguk pressed his lips to Taehyung’s forehead, “Honestly how stupid we both were. Look at how much time we’ve wasted.”  
For the rest of the night, Jeongguk and Taehyung snuggled up together, talking and kissing, falling asleep in each other's arms.

The next morning the 4 men were going to hike up Mount Hallasan which meant they had to be up very early. Jimin and Yoongi were already waiting in the lobby of the hotel when Jeongguk and Taehyung, holding hands and smiling, met them. 

Jimin eyes were the size of saucers, “Um did I miss something, or are you two holding hands?” 

Yoongi just smiled, “Well it’s about fucking time you two figured it out! Jimin, honey, close your mouth, you’re going to catch flies if you don’t.” 

Jimin just shook his head as if to clear his thoughts and laughed loudly, “How did I not see this happening?”

-5-

The two couples had a very enjoyable day hiking the Volcano. The day was filled with friendship, stolen kisses and breathtaking beauty surrounding them. By the time they made it back to the hotel that evening they were happy, relaxed and exhausted.

To Yoongi’s displeasure Jimin was convinced it was bad luck for the grooms to see each before the wedding coming up with the plan that he should stay with Jeongguk and Taehyung could stay in their room. Taehyung and Jeongguk were not much happier with this suggestion but decided it was better to comply than make the Groom-zilla mad! Jimin was a very scary man when he was unhappy!

The wedding was lovely and so romantic. Jimin and Yoongi wanted to be married on the beach with the sun setting in the background. The two were hopeless romantics. They even wrote their own wedding vows that elicited lots of laughter, a few tears and huge smiles from everyone. After dinner and toasts of love and best wishes the newly married couple left to start their honeymoon. 

 

Jeongguk had started packing their suitcases since they had an early morning flight. Taehyung was sitting on the balcony overlooking the ocean. His legs were pulled up to his chest, his arms crossed over his knees, his chin resting on his arms. Jeongguk walked out on the balcony, “Babe, you ok?”  
Taehyung looked up, “yea, I am. I just do not want to go back to reality.” Taehyung sat up and turned his body towards Jeongguk, “is this real, Gukkie? I mean us, do you really have feelings for me? It is not just the whole wedding and “love” island atmosphere clouding your judgement, right?   
Jeongguk stood Taehyung up, cupping his cheeks, looking him in the eyes, “Taehyung, I love you, I have for a long time, the only thing that is going to change when we leave here, we are going home as an us not a you and I. 

Taehyung pressed his forehead to Jeongguk’s, “I have dreamt of you, have loved you for so long, I am so afraid I will wake up and find this was all a dream.” Jeongguk trailed kisses from Taehyungs mouth, over his jaw to the shell of his ear and whispered, “I love you Taehyung, I am not going anywhere, I am yours.”

Jeongguk lifted Taehyung having him wrap his legs around his waist and carried him to the bed. Their kisses were sweet and slow, their hands touching, exploring, learning each other’s bodies. 

“Jeongukk, wait, you said you would never date a co-worker ever again!” Jeongguk laughed, “You are the exception to the rule; besides we are not dating, we are living together!” 

 

-EPILOGUE-  
6 months later

“Taehyung, will you stop fussing, the house is fine!” Taehyung kept wringing his hands, looking about the room frantically, “I just want everything to be perfect, do you think we have enough food?” 

Jeongguk shook his head as he hugged Taehyung, “Babe, everything is perfect, please calm down.” 

Just then the doorbell rang, Taehyung jumped up, “Oh, they are here!” and took off practically running for the door. Jeongguk just smiled and followed. 

“Jae Hwa, Jong-Yo! Oh, it is so good to see you, please, please come in. Let me see this beautiful baby boy!” Taehyung spoke quickly without taking a breath, his body trembling with excitement, holding his arms out to hold the baby. Jae Hwa handed the baby to Taehyung, “Tae, Jeon please meet Jong Soo.”

Tears quickly filled Taehyungs eyes, he held Jong Soo as if it he was a fragile piece of glass that could break at any moment, he said with awe in his voice, “He is so beautiful”. Jeongguk stood behind Taehyung, one arm around his waist, his other hand cradling Taehyungs hand that held the baby’s head, chin resting on his shoulder, “He is so precious, I cannot wait to someday have a child of our own.” 

A few minutes, Jimin and Yoongi arrived and after their oohing and ahhing over Jong Soo the group gathered in the family room. 

Jong-Yo and Jae Hwa talked about their new home, “We love our new home. It is in a cul-de-sac and is in a very quiet area. It is even closer to my workplace, which makes the commute nice. We have good neighbors but no one will ever be as good as you two. We would love for you all to visit soon!”

Yoongi and Jimin would be celebrating their 6-month anniversary in a few days. Jimin said, “We would love to visit your new home. We are also volunteering ourselves for free babysitting, we need to get the practice!” Everyone looked at the couple, with excited but questioning looks on their faces. Yoongi took Jimin’s hand and told everyone, “we have decided to have a baby, we have started considering the adoption process and Jimin’s sister has volunteered to be a surrogate for us if we decide we want to go that route. We have just started reviewing our options so it will not happen right away but we hope to be parents with in the next year!” Congratulations were given around the room.

Jeongguk excused himself as Taehyung sat with a silly grin on his face, looking with love upon his friends. He cannot think of a time he had ever been this happy.

Jeongguk returned to the room, hiding something behind his back. Taehyung looked at him questionably. Jeongguk stopped in front of Taehyung, got on one knee and hand Taehyung a beautiful bouquet of purple and yellow flowers that reminded him of the wildflowers they hand seen on JeJu Island. “Jeongguk, what are you doing?”

Jeongguk took Taehyungs hand, “Babe, sometimes the bad things that happen in our lives, put us directly on the path to the best things that will ever happen to us. I am so sorry it took me so long to realize that you were the love of my life but now that I have found you, I never want to let you go. I place this ring, a symbol of my love, on your ring finger on your left hand because it is the only finger that has a vein which is directly connected to your heart. Please accept my love into your heart and make me the happiest man on this earth, will you marry me?”

Taehyung threw himself onto Jeongguk, knocking him to the ground, wrapping his whole body around him, “Yes, yes, yes, a thousand times over, yes! I love you Jeongguk now and forever!”


End file.
